Readers Respond: Why do you think cats have souls? Why not?

Responses: 207

Do you believe cats and other animals have souls? Have you had any personal experiences that you feel back up those beliefs? Or do you think that when they die, they are just gone? Share your stories and opinions with other readers. Questions or responses to other Answers will not be published. Think of this as your own mini-article, but make your case as compelling as you can, within the character limits.

Of Course!!!!!!

Cats are Living Beings; of course they have Souls/Spirit. And their Spirit Lives On after they're gone.
My Purrball died last week; & a couple days later she "visited" me. She just loved to dive into my Crafts on the table, happily spewing them everywhere.
A couple days after she died, I woke up in the morning to find my livingroom in Shambles! Purrball had Visited; all of my Craft stuff was off the table & all over the floor, a big mess all over the livingroom - just exactly as she did in real life! I just had to Laugh - that was Purrball alright!!
After that, I was'nt near so Sad, 'cause I knew she was in Heaven Happy.

—Guest Louisa

Yes, cats have souls (duh)

Yes, cats have souls. It is obvious to anyone who has ever loved a cat or a dog that there is a soul. It seems to me that personality is a function of the immaterial part of a being, and cats definitely have personality.
This is, of course, an emotional response on our part and you could argue that humans attribute human qualities to things not human. Nevertheless, it seems to me that the burden of proof is on the side of those who argue against anecdotal reports of human behaviors, thus soul behaviors, from cats.
Even from the theological standpoint, I would argue that cats have souls. Whether you are a dichotomist or a trichotomist, cats could be viewed as having both a material and immaterial part.
There is also an argument from the continuity of identity (not enough space left), and the argument from praise & blame. If feel it natural to praise animals for helping humans and think they feel shame when scolded, we obvious treat them as having souls.
Yes, cats have souls.

—Lee_Jones

Do Cats Have Souls?

Yes, I believe they do.They know when their owner is in pain, whether physical or emotional and they stay close by their side. Their hearts are full of love and that comes from the soul.My Aunt had a cat that died after she passed away- He stayed outside her bedroom door and would not eat- The Vet said he diad of a broken heart.That`s soul. Just after I added my opinion,,My George died the 7th of this mo.,Nov.-- he was nearly 16- I am comforted by the other comments posted here, that he is secure in Heaven and I thank-you for that- Sincerely, Jean

—Guest Jean Breton

Do Cats Have Souls?

Yes, cats as well as all animals have souls. The soul is the life force energy that animates the bodies of all living things and gives them consciousness and awareness. All you have to do is look into an animals eyes to know. They feel pain and experience joy and love just as we do. They have strong family bonds with their offspring and companions (both human and animal). Like human beings, cats and all animals are creations of God. They deserve love and compassion, and they also give it back to us.

—Guest Tumeria Langlois

The afterlife of my cat...

I have believed in animals having a soul and moving forward to an afterlife and eventually re-incarnating again like humans, but for animals the time on the other side can be short or long, but not as long as for us humans. My cat, my great love had to be put to sleep, because of serious illness. He didn't die at home. For this reason I was so glad that he came to our and his home two days after he passed over. He stood in the middle of the living room floor and let out a cry. The cry was the same as when he had a pain while alive, but I clearly understood that it wasn't a pain issue, he communicated to me that he was confused and didn't understand what had happened to him. I consoled him and then he was taken away, by helpers on the other side. I'm so glad that this happened. I wanted him to return to our home, if only for a minute to be sure that he could find us . Now I'm waiting until he is whole in his spirit body and expect him to let me know that all is well with him now.

—Guest Ellie

Cat's have souls...Indeed they do!

For a HUMAN to have a "Soul" a "Human" must be "Soulful". When you define it from that, I.E. "Would a Human Pull Another Human From A Burning Building?" (And CAT's have been known to do this with OTHER Cat's, Kittens, and even their "Humans", it proves that they are INDEED Soulful. They have compassion. and a need for LOVE and Attention which shows they can PROVIDE Love and attention. Having a "Soul" does NOT mean your Cat will go to Heaven,or The Bardo or maybe ANYWHERE at all when it dies. There is ONE thing that IS sure. Energy can not be destroyed, it can only be CHANGED. Ergo, made into something NEW and different. I do not pretend to KNOW if YOUR cat will follow you to "Your" Heaven or "Bardo" or maybe "No-Where". THAT debate can go on ad nauseam. What I DO know, is that when I see something that REMINDS me of my beloved lost creature, it "Sparks" something in me. A Feeling, happiness,Joy, and sometimes Sadness. They DO live on. But if it's in the mind or Nature Its a Mystery. ET

—Guest Ethan Tudor W.

Yes, I think cats have souls.

I believe cats and other animals have souls. I also they believe they have personalities. It's easy to see their personalities just being with them. Each cat is some what different in its demeanor just as we are. I believe the soul is what gives an animal or person life. When the soul leaves the body left behind is just an empty vessel. God created animals as well as US and breathed life into them by giving them a soul, personalities and feelings. I have had many pets in my life and hope each have made it to heaven so I can see them again. They loved me just as I loved them. They are not just breathing fur bags, that go through this life to die and cease to exist.

—Guest Linda

Cat visit

My cat has been missing for 2 full days. Last night i just knew he was dead. At 2:00 AM I awoke to him walking on the bed beside me. I heard him purring as he curled up beside me. Half awake and half asleep I reached for him. His body not there but I know he was deffinitely there cuddling and letting me know that he passed but still loving me. I'm sad for the loss but happy and feeling blessed for the experience.

—Guest ❤️

Cat gave me sign she had passed

Yancey May my fur baby of 5 years went missing 3 wks ago. N the evening we would let her outside 2 have fun chasing lizards n bugs around the yard. Our house is right beside a lake and grown up meadow and sometime she would slip under the fence 2 go explore, but she never went far. Everynight I would make sure she was n b4 I went to bed. Sometime when I'd call she wouldn't come but being a daddy's girl EVERYTIME my husband called she would come running. This night she did not. The next 2 days we spent hours searching 4 her around the lake, meadow and woods behind r house. We never found anything. On the 2nd day of searching and calling 4 her I prayed 4 a sign to let me know if she was indeed passed. I then went down to the basement to switch over a load of laundry and right in the middle of the isle where there was no possible way I could miss it was a matte I had been trying to cut off of her. She'd gotten it off herself several weeks ago and it had been MIA till that moment.

—cjgodwin

I believe...

Of course cats have souls... As do all living creatures. I can't imagine eternity without my little Molly. Heaven is a place of true happiness... Could we ever be completely at peace without knowing we'll see our precious companions once again on the other side?

—Guest Scott

My Spooker

My little sweet girl Spooker passed yesterday morning. She was my little buddy and I will always love her. I would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to find her next to me looking right into my eyes and I would talk to her and tell her what a good girl she was. I am sure did not understand the words but I do believe she understood what I meant. I will treasure her forever.

—Guest Mike M

my cat peanut

Peanut my 16 year young cat died today from complications of her liver.
I will miss her terribly. I already do.
I have another cat named Cookie who is 13 years young. She has no health problems that I can see accept a broken heart from losing Peanut today her favorite friend.
It is going to be a long journey trying to make changes without Peanut in our lives after 15 years! We miss her so much right now!!
I will find a way to make my other cat Cookie get through this! Thank you for listening

—Guest Pat

Yes, cats have souls

I had to put my cat Maya to sleep yesterday, June 2 2012. She was 12 yrs old. I had no idea that she was sick and when her rib cage looked like it was straining to breathe, i called the vet. After xrays, the vet told me the bad news and I had to make a decision I have always felt belonged to God. When I first got her in 2001, she use to ride around on my dad;s walker, sit in his favourite chair, which he allowed. My dad died in 2003 and there have been numerous times I have felt his presense. Before Maya died yesterday, I held her and told her to make sure she found my dad. Last night, I was laying in bed, praying for a sign, and my outdoor chimes rang, just a light tinkle. It was a sign that she found my dad, and would be fine. Do cats have souls? Yes they do. I can just feel it. I loved her and she loved me. When the vet injected herm she turned, put her head in my arm and left this earth. I will miss her so much!!

—Maya2

Smokeydoke

I have always had at least one cat. Several stories come to mind that I can tell here, but I will tell you one concerning my daughter and our cat Smokey who passed away several years ago. He was my daughter's first pet.
My daughter was meeting a friend in England and always wanted to go to Paris. I advised her not to go, because I knew it would be very lonely for her not to have a travelling companion and friend to share the four days with. Well, she went anyway and unfortunately I was correct. She was miserable and terribly sad. On her last night there she stayed in her room and went to bed early crying herself to sleep. During the night she had a most unusual dream. She dreamed she was at the bottom of a large grassy hill standing at the bottom. As she looked up at the top of the hill. Suddenly, one, two, several, dozens, and then hundreds of Smokeys came to her and stood all around her to comfort her with love.

—Guest eal77602

A Sign that he was there!

The day after my cat , who I loved so much ,was put to sleep my husband and I visited a lovely old village church that was filled with my favorite flowers LILLY's. The smell was was so lovely as we entered the church. I duly lit a candle and prayed that my cat TOM would be taken care of in heaven. That
evening at home my husband and I were sitting in the lounge and talking about the lovely village church we had visited, It was then that I smelt a wonderful smell of Lillys I did not say anything to my husband (not wanting him to think that I was completly bonkers!) when all of a sudden he said to me that he could smell lillys!!. This was a sign to me that my Tom had made a connection to me, to let me know that he was aware that we had been in the church that day and he was up there. Now I am not in the least bit religious, but I know that this ment something, so do cat have souls, yes I have no doubt that they do, and someday I will meet him again.